


We can't.

by itsnotlove



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Forbidden Love, Innocent love, Love at First Sight, someone s a ve t h e m
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 09:40:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7569244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotlove/pseuds/itsnotlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all starts with a marriage interview between seventeen year old Tomoko and her future husband, the soon to be Young Head of the Awakusu-kai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We can't.

She knows who is waiting for her, and though she’s never met the man before, she’s heard quite a few things about him. None of those things had been particularly kind, but that didn’t mean all that much. If this was the man her parents had chosen for her, then he couldn’t be as rigid and cold as others implied.

Of course, that didn’t mean that she had higher hopes than would be practical. This marriage would bring their families closer together, so her personal feelings would need to be set aside regardless of the man’s lack of potential kindness.

Breathing deeply through her nose, she wishes that her parents were with her. A family emergency had pulled them away from the meeting, but in order to maintain appearances, she’d been sent to entertain her soon-to-be fiance alone. The idea of it makes her stomach twist painfully, as nerves and the sudden fear of inadequacy gripped her. 

What if he didn’t like her? She’d always felt herself to be a little plain, if not boring. It wouldn’t be surprising if it made him turn up his nose.

No, there’s no point in worrying about things outside of her control. If she wasn’t appreciated, then the man wouldn’t be worth her appreciation either.

With newfound confidence (and perhaps the smallest amount of spite), she straightens her back and opens the paper door separating herself from her new husband.

“Ah.” The man says, as though he hadn’t been expecting her. “You’re-”

“Good afternoon.” She interrupts, still a little too inexperienced to veer from her self-assigned script. She gestures toward the small table with a hand, a strange little smile on her face. “Please, I’ll fix us some tea.”

The man hides his surprise (is it surprise?) at her words and readjusts his tie awkwardly. “Thank you, bu-”

“Did you have any difficulty in finding this house?” Tomoko interjects without entirely meaning to. He was only meant to say thank you, not continue talking, and it wasn’t  _ her  _ fault that he was going off script.

The man, only a few years older than herself, shakes his head lightly as he moves toward the table. He looked a little strange, but quite handsome despite all of the premature creases on his face. “No, it was no trouble at all.”

Nodding, Tomoko isn’t quite sure what to say in reply. She focuses on walking toward the table, finding it a little difficult to stay upright in these awful shoes, and takes a little more time than is usual to kneel. Unfortunately, the action seems to be too much for her, and she only manages to bend her knees before losing her balance.

With a small cry, she topples sideways, her head a mess of insecurities when something strong grips her bicep.

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

“You fell.”

“I… shoes.”

“...they look nice.” Shiki holds onto Tomoko’s arm for a little longer than acceptable, letting his fingers savour the feeling of something so thin and soft. He squeezes her gently, not really sure of what he’s doing, until she finally looks at him. “Ah, I’m…”

Feeling a little more exposed than he’s used to, Shiki realising just how inappropriate it is to still be holding onto Tomoko. He releases her suddenly, watching her fall to the floor in a way that isn’t altogether ungraceful, as he starts to panic.

Shit, he wasn’t meant to drop her! If she was going to fall anyway, it wouldn’t have been wise to touch her in the first place! To treat such a beautiful lady this way… it was shameful!

Acting as though this was exactly what she’d planned, Tomoko regroups quickly, shuffling to her knees as she reaches for the tea pot. “Would you like some tea?”

“Um… I mean, yes, thank you. Ah, well-”

“My tea is usually quite nice, though I hold no power over the leaves. I can’t take credit for how they taste.”

“Of course.” Shiki’s eyes dart around the room as he tries to remember how to move his legs. He walks awkwardly to the other side of the table and kneels in front of it, letting his hands rest against his knees as he watches her prepare the tea. “Thank you.”

Looking at Shiki through her lashes, Tomoko wonders how such an  adorable awkward man had gathered such an unfitting reputation. She had no doubts that he could be cold, or even ruthless, but he seemed to have a strangely gentle side to him as well. “Awakusu-san, are you feeling the weather?”

It was a strange way of phrasing it, but Shiki gathered Tomoko’s meaning. He shook his head and wondered how red his face must be for it to be pointed out. “No, I’m fine. However, I’m not-”

“There’s no modern air-conditioning in this house.” Feeling smug at Shiki’s denial, Tomoko finally feels as though she has the upper-hand. This man, this cold hearted man, was feeling warm because of her. That had to have been it, as there really was no other excuse. “I can bring you a fan if you’d like.”

Shiki stayed quiet, taking a few moments to remind himself that it would be incredibly inappropriate for him to accept that offer. Though he would love to be fanned by this beautiful woman, she wasn’t  _ his  _ beautiful woman, and that wouldn’t be a good thing. Or, it  _ would  _ be a good thing- a  _ very  _ good thing- but it wouldn’t be the  _ correct  _ thing.

“I’m fine, thank you. Just the tea will be fine.”

“I hope it’s to your liking.”

“Everything seems to be, so I can’t imagine the tea being any different.” The words slipped out before he had a chance to censor himself, and he looked at his teacup in mild horror. To her credit, Tomoko didn’t react verbally, though she did take a bigger sip from her own teacup than she might have under different circumstances. “What I mean to say is-”

“I know what you meant. I won’t become too conceited.”

“No, it isn’t that you  _ aren’t _ to my liking, it’s that… the tea is what I was referring to, however, that isn’t… I’m… you’re very beautiful, I apologise.”

“I’m...  No, I’m sorry. I...” Unsure of how to react, Tomoko’s training seems to slip away from her. More candid and honest thoughts bubble to the surface, rendering her incapable of control. “It’s… I shouldn’t say anything, but I was nervous about our meeting. I trusted my parents and...”

She pauses and looks to the side, not really sure how to continue. Shiki leans forward despite himself, offering a small ‘yes?’ as he waits for the end of her sentence.

“I believe they chose perfectly. I’m very happy with their choice, Awakusu-san.”

The door slides open, revealing a tall, slightly scarred man. Both Shiki and Tomoko jump at the sound, and the man enters the room with a deep bow.

“I’m sorry for my lateness. I hope that Shiki-kun was able to entertain you in my absence.”

All the peculiar feelings that had been surging underneath Shiki’s skin disappeared, replaced by a sense of guilt (and disappointment, though he’d be ignoring that). He rises to his feet and offers a bow to Tomoko, hoping that she isn’t too repulsed by him now. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I wish you both a lovely afternoon.”

He nods at Mikiya as he exits and forces himself to keep his eyes ahead of him. Her gaze is burning into his back, though he’s certain it’s one of anger.

He doesn’t look back as he closes the door, and doesn’t see the look of confusion on her face, or the one of deep disappointment.

 

It’s probably better he doesn’t, because he’s not sure what he’ll do if he does.


End file.
